Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, Dec 1:  An FIR has been filed against National Award-winning Tulu film producer Arun Rai, known for Jeetige and Kannada movie Veerakambala, on charges of cheating.

The case was registered at the RMC Yard police station in Bengaluru following a complaint from an entrepreneur of Bantwal origin.

Arun Rai reportedly met the entrepreneur at Yeshwantpur's Taj Hotel in Bengaluru and persuaded him to invest in his films, promising a 60-lakh share of the profits. The entrepreneur, who had incurred a loss of Rs 25 crore during the Covid-19 pandemic due to his cashew nut processing business, was enticed by Arun’s offer, believing it would help recover his losses.

Arun allegedly fabricated several stories, claiming to have made significant investments in Delhi and that a man named Kaliswami from Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, owed him Rs 50 crore. He also claimed to have a Rs 50 crore pending payment from the Jharkhand government and a stock of cashew nuts worth Rs 40 crore in a Mangaluru godown, which he promised to sell for Rs 25 crore to the entrepreneur.

Furthermore, Arun stated that he had international business ventures in Dubai, Gambia, Ghana, Uzbekistan, and Malaysia, and even introduced people in Bengaluru’s star hotels as his business partners. He also claimed that Twitter CEO Elon Musk was his business associate.

As part of his efforts to convince the entrepreneur, Arun Rai took him to various offices across Karnataka, including locations in HSR Layout, Electronic City, Rajajinagar, Tumakuru, and Mysuru, to further reinforce his claims.

Believing Arun’s stories, the entrepreneur invested more than Rs 9 crore in the films, borrowing money from others in Bantwal. However, the entrepreneur later discovered that Arun had fabricated agreements and defrauded him.

Consequently, the victim filed a complaint against Arun Rai, his brother Arjun Rai, Banashankari Raghu, Mulabagilu Govindappa, and K P Srinivas at the RMC Yard police station.